We are happy to tell you that your children have access to hundreds of
eBooks through our class’ subscription to RAZ-Kids. Students can read,
listen to, and even self-record reading these books. Students can access
the sites on a computer through links from the 3rd Grade TPS Student
Central page
https://sites.google.com/a/tpschool.org/tps-studentcentral/3rd-grade-site
using the information below:

Click on: Raz-Kids for 3B

Username: Click on student’s name.

Password: Student’s TPS password

Reading comprehension quizzes along the way show the progress that children
are making. You can see which books your child has read, send messages, and
review activity using the Parent Access area. Simply log in as your
student, click the "Parents" link in the upper right, register, then follow
the log-in instructions emailed to you. Teachers will get a weekly email of
eBook activity. We’re also excited about RAZ-Kids because it includes a
collection of books in Spanish.

Please note: Reading books on RAZ-Kids is an option for students. We will
not assign reading unless we think that assignments will help children to
meet reading goals. If you’d like us to make assignments for your child
because it helps if reading assignments come from us, we are happy to do
that, too.

We are happy to tell you that your children have access to hundreds of
eBooks through our class’ subscription to RAZ-Kids. Students can read,
listen to, and even self-record reading these books. Students can access
the sites on a computer through links from the 3rd Grade TPS Student
Central page
https://sites.google.com/a/tpschool.org/tps-studentcentral/3rd-grade-site
using the information below:

Click on: Raz-Kids for 3B

Username: Click on student’s name.

Password: Student’s TPS password

Reading comprehension quizzes along the way show the progress that children
are making. You can see which books your child has read, send messages, and
review activity using the Parent Access area. Simply log in as your
student, click the "Parents" link in the upper right, register, then follow
the log-in instructions emailed to you. Teachers will get a weekly email of
eBook activity. We’re also excited about RAZ-Kids because it includes a
collection of books in Spanish.

Please note: Reading books on RAZ-Kids is an option for students. We will
not assign reading unless we think that assignments will help children to
meet reading goals. If you’d like us to make assignments for your child
because it helps if reading assignments come from us, we are happy to do
that, too.

We’ve had a short but fun-filled week! Our trip to Baltimore was smooth, and the children really enjoyed the hands-on activities. Some highlights were visiting a garment loft and blacksmith shop, seeing how printing presses function, working in a Ford assembly line, and working at an oyster cannery! Students were able to connect what they had learned in theme and strengthen their understanding of immigrant labor. Our 90-year-old tour guide was impressed with the kids’ background knowledge, and at one point they even serenaded him with the song “Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears.” When we got back to school, many children were eager to post a review of the Baltimore Museum of Industry on our blog.

Speaking of which, third graders have been actively blogging! We would welcome parent participation in commenting on students’ posts. There is a diverse range of topics and some will leave your mouth watering. You can access the blog here: https://kidblog.org/class/3b-spring-2016/posts

The join code for Guests is 7di9bay. Sign up to Kidblog with your own email address or Google Account.

REMINDERS:

Our pool party will be on Tuesday afternoon. The kids can wear a bathing suit, water shoes (of any kind/ flip flops or old sneakers), and they should bring a towel. If you have a sprinkler or other fun water toys (no water guns or water balloons please), please let us know.

Next week, please send your child to school with a large bag. We will be asking students to clean out their cubbies and bins and take things home!

If you would like to adopt a crayfish, we have one more crayfish that needs a home over the summer and beyond. Please email us if you are interested in our lovable pets! :) We can send you details on how to care for them.

Next Friday is Graduation Day; we ask that the children dress up a little in honor of the 8th grade. Dismissal that day is 11:30am; there are no after school activities.

We hope that you have had a great week. 3B has been as busy as ever! As you know from last week’s note, we have started blogging! We encourage parent participation in commenting on student reviews once they are published. We anticipate the comments starting next week, when we will have more blog reviews posted. Below is the login information.

The join code for Guests is 7di9bay. (parents)

If each of the "guests" or parents have the guest code and a link to your blog (which can be found at the bottom of the window once you click the "join codes" button), they can enter the info and sign up to Kidblog with their own email address or Google Account. I believe you can manage commenting privileges on your end as the admin/teacher for the blog.

The expiration date you're seeing is a temporary one. Kidblog is set up such that, after a small period of time, it disables join codes for the security of the site. You can always re-enable any disabled/expired code (for teachers, students, and guests). [I just tested it out an older blog that I created.] You'll see the enable/disable buttons to the right of the codes.

An important note: Our trip to Baltimore is on Tuesday! Please make sure your child has a lunch and plenty of snacks for the journey to Baltimore and back. We will provide water. Please remember to be punctual as we leave school at 8:15.

We kicked off our writing unit on persuasive reviews with an ice cream taste tasting. (You probably heard that the Ben and Jerry’s vanilla ice cream was by far the favorite!) 3B writers have enthusiastically started reviewing restaurants, vacation destinations, movies, video games among many other things. Students are exploring questions such as: What does it mean to have an opinion about something? How can you form convincing arguments? What strategies do good persuasive writers use?

We hope to begin blogging these reviews next week on the third grade blog. We encourage parent participation in commenting on student reviews. We will send out login information soon!

An important note: Our trip to Baltimore is coming up soon! We wanted to give you a heads up that your child should bring his/her own lunch and plenty of snacks for the journey to Baltimore and back. We will provide water. Please remember to be punctual as we leave school at 8:15. Please complete the attached permission slip and send it in to school with your child ASAP.

Also, make sure to check out our auction item for EATS: Bubble tea and a manicure with Diane and Anna!

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:

This week, ask me…

Some new vocabulary about crayfish

About Sloane’s mom’s visit and her story about great great aunt Molly

The 3rd grade/Junior Unit recital

What biographies I’m reading

About the Ice Cream taste testing

What quadrilaterals are

About obtuse, acute, and right angles

Our read-alouds about the experiences of refugees

My opinion on whether ballet is a form of athletics or art or both?

What a dichotomous key is and what it’s used for

About Encuentro

About our day at SCEE

SAVE THE DATES:

Our field trip to the Museum of Industry in Baltimore, MD will be on 5/31 leaving school at 8:15am. Here is a copy of the permission slip.

The afternoon of June 6 will be third grade’s annual pool party. More information to come.

We are just a few days away from the play! As you can imagine, our week has been filled with singing, choreographing, practicing instruments and cues, finalizing props in art class, figuring out costumes, making our program, and rehearsing intensively. Students are getting more comfortable with their lines and blocking, and we encourage continued practice at home projecting their voices loudly and clearly. We are looking for newsies hats for the play. If you have any at home, please send them in along with your child. You are welcome to come to one or both shows next week. There will be a cast party following the 9:15 performance on Thursday, 5/12.

Another celebration that is coming up is the Dream Flag Project, Saturday, May 14, 10:00AM-12:30PM. If your child is interested in reading his or her poem in front of an audience at the National Constitution Center, please let us know. One student from 3A and one student from 3B will represent TPS for this annual poetry celebration.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:

This week, ask me…

To give you an example of hyperbole

How my guided reading books came to an end

About my first impressions of our new classroom pets: crayfish!

My dream poem that I chose to publish for the Dream Flag Project

What the title of our play is

What I learned from the Refugee Kids video

To teach you the fuzzy ducky game (skip count by 3 and 7)

SAVE THE DATES:

3B’s play will be on Wednesday, 5/11 at 1:45PM and Thursday, 5/12 at 9:15AM.

The Dream Flag Project celebration will take place on Saturday, 5/14 between 10:00AM-12:30PM at the Constitution Center.

Our field trip to the Museum of Industry in Baltimore, MD will be on 5/31 leaving school at 8:15am.

We encourage the children to get plenty of rest over the weekend as they prepare for a big week ahead!

We have had such a busy and inspiring week! As you may know, there was no homework this past week, except for reading through scripts. This will continue next week as well. We have asked the students to try to memorize their lines, say them with expression, and to project their voices so an audience can hear them clearly! We are so pleased at the work each student has put into this already. The students can practice in front of a mirror, recite their lines for you (or any family member) and let you know what their blocking consists of!

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:

This week, ask me…

To give you an example of personification in poetry

About my Dream Poem so far

To tell you about "Dream Keeper" by Langston Hughes

About practicing in the Garage space for the play

What is a habitat

About what nurse Sara taught us on sun safety and hydration

What we did at the Schuylkill Center

SAVE THE DATE:

3B’s play will be on Wednesday, 5/11 at 1:45PM and Thursday, 5/12 at 9:15am

The Dream Flag Project celebration will take place on Saturday, May 14 between 10:00AM and 12:30pm

Our field trip to the Museum of Industry in Baltimore, MD will be on 5/31 leaving school at 8:15am

REMINDER: Students should wear long cotton pants and long-sleeved, light colored shirts on Schuylkill Center days. Please pack your child a water bottle!

We have kicked off our poetry unit and we are already impressed with how creative, observant, and profound our group of poets are! Students are beginning to experiment with different kinds of poetry writing using a variety of poetry tools. The kids have been playful and purposeful with how the words are written on a page using the strategy called line breaks and white space. Soon, students will craft dream poems for the annual Dream Flag Project which is an international poetry and art project run by Miriam’s (in 3A) husband. Inspired by the dream poetry of Langston Hughes and the idea of Nepalese prayer flags, students’ dream poems are printed and decorated on fabric flags strung on a line and are shared with the community.

The following is an excerpt from "The New Colossus," a poem by Emma Lazarus. The students enjoyed exploring the meaning of this poem and how it relates to our play!

Speaking of our play, we have finished writing it! Our student playwrights have worked tremendously hard to create a script that is both informative and creative. We will begin rehearsing next week!

We also want to give a big thank you to Charlotte’s grandfather, Peter Berman (a founder of TPS!), for being our classroom guest! Peter shared his immigration story, which began in Austria, which he left at the age of 8 to seek refuge in various European countries before finally settling in New York City.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:

This week, ask me…

To give you an example of a simile and metaphor

What personification is

To use onomatopoeia

What one major thing that happened in my guided reading book

How it feels to have accomplished writing the play

Where 2 ¾ is found on a ruler and if 2 ¾ is greater than or less than 2 ⅞ (look at a ruler together)

To give you an equivalent fraction for ½

About the video What Kind of Asian Are You?

What we did with our teaching artists, M.R. and Madeline, this week!

SAVE THE DATES:

We encourage you to attend the 4rd Grade "Move-Up Meeting" on Tuesday, May 3 at 5pm in the Junior Unit classrooms (on the 2nd floor). This is a great opportunity for you to meet each of the teachers and learn more about the JU program.

3B’s play will be on Wednesday, May11 at 1:45PM and Thursday, May12 at 9:15am.

The Dream Flag Project celebration will take place on Saturday, May 14, between 10:00am and 12:30pm.

Our field trip to the Museum of Industry in Baltimore, MD will be on May 31, leaving school at 8:15am.

REMINDER:

Students should wear long cotton pants and long-sleeved, light colored shirts on Schuylkill Center days.

We are back full force from spring break and have started to build great momentum with our third grade play. Madeline and Maryruth (or M.R.) are our teaching artists from the Philadelphia Young Playwrights. We have been working together with them to help students prepare for acting and playwriting. So far we have begun writing a few scenes including one about Chinese laborers working on the Transcontinental Railroad as well as the schooling and work experiences of immigrant children in New York. The kids have been enthusiastic and full of ideas in the playwriting process, and we all look forward to the final product to share with you all soon!

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:

This week, ask me…

About making water wheels in science

About Angel Island poems

My work on fractions using pattern blocks

What’s going on in my guided reading group

The dances I’ve learned in P.E.

What songs I’m learning for the play in music

Our read-aloud book, Hannah is My Name

About the immigration experiences of the Japanese, Russian, Indian, Filipino, and Korean immigrants who came through Angel Island

Our theater warm ups (Diction Comes, Feet Planted)

About our art museum mystery tour with my family circle

SAVE THE DATES:

Grandparents and Friends Day is next Friday, 4/15 between 12:30-2:45.

3B’s play will be on Wednesday, 5/11 at 1:45 and Thursday, 5/12 at 9:15.

Our field trip to the Museum of Industry in Baltimore, MD will be on 5/31 leaving school at 8:15am.

Your children have been working hard this week to prepare for their student led conferences.

Why are students included in this conference? Student-included conferences offer the opportunity for developmentally appropriate self-reflection, and they create a situation in which students must examine their own learning. When students have to gather information and then reflect on the meaning of that information, they are put in a position of assuming responsibility for their actions. And, when students know their strengths and weaknesses, they are capable of making changes in their learning habits. The teacher is moved out of the role of sole informant. Children’s opinions and insights about their learning are equally important as the teacher’s comments.

Additionally, student-led conferences

• give children a voice and shared power.

• encourage a sense of ownership for learning,

• foster risk-taking,

• critical thinking and decision-making.

• build strong student-teacher-parent relationships,

• encourage organization,

• give students opportunity to experiment with oral discussion,

• and encourage children to take a role in problem-solving.

Here are some ways in which you can support your child in his/her conference:

• Express confidence in your child’s ability to participate in the conference: “I can see you are really organized and ready to begin.”

• Ask specific questions about your child’s work and learning: “What did you learn when you did this work? Do you think you need more practice in this?”

Yet again, we had a tremendous week! One of the many highlights was having the Philadelphia Young Playwrights come in and start our theater lessons! The students all embraced this opportunity and had such thoughtful things to say about the experience! Please ask them about it!

So you know:

Conference child care is available: If you need child care (for a TPS-enrolled student) during your conference time on March 24 or 25, it will be available in the Lombard Street building from 7:30am to 5:30pm. A receptionist will direct you to the room where supervision will be available. Children may not wait in the office. Thanks.

A reminder that next Friday, Primary A will sell soft pretzels in the Lombard Street building at lunch time to benefit people experiencing homelessness. Pretzels are $1.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:

This week, ask me…

about Jane Ahn’s (Brody’s mom) immigration share with our class!

to tell you about the read-aloud So Far From the Sea.

about the middle school recital

to tell you about Tyrus Wong and his experience at Angel Island. (Video)

what does Gim Sann mean?

how I feel about the article I wrote

how I felt about sharing my article with Primary OR how I feel about sharing my article next week with Primary.

who I started researching –– Seymour Rechteits, a Polish immigrant who came to Ellis Island, or Li Keng Wong, a Chinese immigrant who came to Ellis Island (We will be comparing the two experiences.)

We are continuing our in-depth study on immigration by focusing on Angel Island. The students are already comparing and contrasting the differences between the two immigration stations, which has led to some heartfelt conversations. This week they are exploring the reasons why the reception for the Asian immigrants was quite different from that given to European immigrants on the East Coast. The students have been captivated by the following books: Coolies by Yin, Landed by Milly Lee, and Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America (Tales of Young Americans) by Helen Foster James. The walls of our room are becoming full of your children’s thoughts and insights on this subject - come by and check it out when you can!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

If you haven’t already done so, please make sure you sign up for the spring conference, which will be student-led. Please make sure you are the only one signing up for a specific time slot.

Samuel’s father, Philippe, came to share about his family’s immigration story from Colombia to Texas. Philippe also read Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation to introduce to the class on how the Hispanic community came together to end segregation of schools in California. We had great discussions about what it means to be American and the challenges immigrants and particularly, refugees, face today.

This afternoon, Leila’s mom, Stephanie, gave a presentation on her transnational life experiences around the globe. We learned about her growing up in France, New York, Sudan, Uruguay, Spain, and Japan and got to taste foods from those cultures. Students also had the opportunity to practice Japanese calligraphy. It was quite a treat!

If you haven’t already done so, please make sure you sign up for the spring conference which will be student-led. http://doodle.com/poll/detnfesurxbsmhb6

You are also welcome to sign up for a conference with Rick to discuss your child’s work in art. http://doodle.com/poll/kqwpvbwingb5wzcz

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:

This week, ask me…

about the immigration reader’s theaterwho MR and Madeline arewhat I’m learning in the editing processabout the Shakespeare playswhat surface area is and how it connects with evaporation

As you may have already heard, third grade conferences in March will be student led. This will be the very first time third graders are asked to take ownership of their learning and to take the lead on presenting their voices at the table.

Student-included conferences offer an opportunity for developmentally appropriate self-reflection, and they create a situation in which students must examine their own learning. When they have to gather information and then reflect on the meaning of that information, they are put in a position of assuming responsibility for their actions. And when students know their strengths and weaknesses, they are capable of making changes in their learning habits. The teacher is moved out of the role of sole informant. Children’s opinions and insights about their learning are equally important as the teacher’s comments.

Additionally, student-led conferences

give children voice and shared power,

foster risk-taking, critical thinking and decision-making,

build strong student-teacher-parent relationships,

encourage organization,

give students opportunity to practice expressing themselves orally,

and encourage children to take a role in problem-solving.

You should have received an email with the conference sign-up links. Please sign up if you haven’t already.

Enjoy the warm weekend!

Diane and Anna

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:

This week, ask me…

about the young immigrants I got to learn about online

how the multiplication and division story problems my classmates and I created and solved

multiplication fact families

what a run on sentence is -

about Lucidpress and what I learned to do with Matt, the tech specialist

We had a very productive week! As you know, the class is deep into their nonfiction articles. They have made incredible progress the last few days and their pieces are looking more professional each and every day! Students who have not finished typing need to finish typing over the long weekend. The students will begin to design their articles in Lucid Press later next week. In case of login issues for the student Google Accounts, here is some advice:

In order for a student to access his/her TPS GAFE Google Account's Drive successfully at home, all other Google Accounts (personal, business, etc.) must be logged out / signed out. Due to the "school domain" nature of your student's account, no "Drive sharing" is permitted across other accounts. It is recommended that Google Chrome be used as the internet browser.

If you do not wish to log out / sign out of your Google accounts, an alternative would be to open an Incognito Window (click on the "File" option in the menu bar and select the "New Incognito Window" option) in Google Chrome. The student can use this separate window to sign into Drive without interference from other logged-in Drives. *Warning: All searches and browser history will not save in this "private mode." Therefore, it is difficult to discover whether the student has navigated to other sites unless strict supervision is implemented during this time.*

Have a lovely weekend!

Diane and Anna

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:

This week, ask me…

how I organized non-fiction articles into boxes and bullets

what I most liked about the interactive Ellis Island Tour

about the cursive letters I worked on this week

how I felt about multiplication and division story problems

was it challenging to write my own story problems for others to solve

how writing two conclusions helped me to make a stronger conclusion to my article

about our theme read-alouds

what I am doing in my specials classes

how the recital was on Tuesday afternoon

what we started to read in my guided reading group

all about Anna’s immigration story

the Lady Liberty video

what I wrote in my postcard pretending to be an immigrant from the 1900’s

It has been a wonderful week full of learning! We are digging deeper into our study of immigration. We started the week by watching a video of President Obama’s speech on immigration ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiXuEk_CyWs), and discussed the meaning behind “us” vs. “them” and the quote, "Unless you're Native American, you came from someplace else." We have also been discussing some of the many reasons why people immigrate. Ask your child to give you examples of “push” and “pull” factors.

We have also been reading about the waves of immigrants, particularly immigrants arriving in Ellis Island. We read to the children a book called Emma’s Poem and talked about the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty. To complement this, students have been exploring primary documents and taking a virtual tour of Ellis Island. If your child is interested in spending more time on the virtual tour, here is the link.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:

This week, ask me…

how my family circle lunch went

about the cooperative balancing stick activity

how I did on my word work assessment

what I know about global warming

why pipes may burst in the winter

about the arrays activity in math

what I’m writing about in my informational book and Google docs

what’s happening to Kek and his job in our read aloud book

facts about the Statue of Liberty

the strategy I learned to multiply large numbers

about Mira’s mom’s immigration story

what my kindergarten book buddy taught me about the friendship belt

the Korean folk song I’m learning in music class

SAVE THE DATE: February 9 at 2pm: The 3rd grade and Junior Unit recital will take place in the gym.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

The no candy policy still holds on Valentine’s Day. On Thursday, February 11 students may bring in Valentines to distribute to each of his/her classmates.

During our indoor lunch times last week we watched a documentary called On the Way to School. We wanted to tell you about it, because the students were riveted by what lengths children in some parts of the world have to go through just to get to school. Children in Kenya, Morocco, India, and Argentina are featured, and the film follows each of them on their journey. Ask your child to tell you more about it.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:

This week, ask me…

to tell you about our special guest Nary, who immigrated from Cambodia and who shared with us her immigration story.

to share with you what Manav’s mom, Shipra, shared about her immigration to the United States.

about today’s Encuentro recital

about the small group, nonfiction reading articles we have been working on

how my introductions to my nonfiction article is going and which one I will use!

how using descriptions help my writing

to explain the multiplication table I filled out during math

how book buddies went today

SAVE THE DATE:

The 3rd grade and junior unit potluck is Wednesday, February 3rd, from 6:30-8:30 in the garage. All are invited to attend.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS: The all-school talent show, which features a student- and staff- only audience, will be on February 11. Those participating are asked to prepare a 1-minute well-rehearsed performance.

Each morning, we choose a daily growth mindset focus to embrace. These mantras have been an important part of third grade which touch on both academic and social realms. Here are a few that are posted on our wall at this time:

“Every mistake you make is progress.”

“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go RIGHT.”

“It’s okay to not know, but it’s not okay to not try.”

“Sometimes the struggle is what makes success even sweeter.”

One of our favorite parts of the day is when your children reflect at closing circle and share ways in which they’ve put a growth mindset into practice. Whether that’s mustering up the courage to eat lunch with a new group of friends, working hard for 15 minutes with a partner to solve a prime factorization problem, or putting a new writing strategy into practice, your children inspire us each and every day!

Please be on the lookout for a large envelope coming home. This is a collection of your child’s finished work. You can feel free to go through it together and keep pieces or toss them in the trash.

Thank you to those of you who have responded to our request to share your immigration story. We’d love to have more visitors share their journeys with us in third grade!

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:

This week, ask me…

if hot water is more dense than cold water

to explain the water density science investigation to you

about factors. And, what are two factors that, when multiplied, equal 24?

about my multiplication quick facts, how am I doing, and if I need help learning them

how the hamburger chart helped me to organize my nonfiction writing

what are some ways I can figure out the meaning of a word in my reading that I am not familiar with

what are some text features in nonfiction books that I find helpful to look at when I am reading

how the basketball game went on Friday

to tell you about contractions

what is happening in our read aloud, Home of the Brave

how my typing is going and if I should practice at home

what I am learning about from my classmates’ ancestors, or friends, who immigrated to the United States

SAVE THE DATE:

The 3rd grade and Junior Unit potluck is Wednesday, February 3rd, from 6:30-8:30 in the garage. All are invited to attend.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

The all-school talent show will be on February 11th. Those participating are asked to prepare a 1 minute well-rehearsed performance.

We hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend with the impending snowstorm!

We will keep this note short and sweet. Please have your children continue
to read ½ hour a day over the long weekend and log their progress in their
journals. We also gave them a math sheet that will be due Tuesday. Remember
that RAZ-Kids is an alternative to a reading from a book and can be logged
in the same way.

We hope all of you have a safe and relaxing long weekend and we look
forward to seeing everyone again next Tuesday!

Best,

Diane and Anna

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:

This week, ask me…

-

to tell you about our science investigation and how I built a thermometer
-

what happens to water when it is cooled?...when is is heated?
-

what nonfiction topic have I written about in my journal
-

what letters did I learn in cursive
-

what topics have I read about during our nonfiction reading times
-

what is the product of 3 x 4? Is the product the same as the sum of 4 +
4 + 4 ?
-

to explain loops and groups to you. If there are 6 loops with 4 stars in
each, how many stars would there be in total? ( 6 x 4 or 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 +
4 + 4)
-